Mehdi Mohamadzadeh, Head of Iran's Association of Pharmaceutical Medicine Economics in an interview with the official Fars News Agency said "Of course we are in a dire economic situation, but with regards to medicine, there are no sanctions against us and the world's large pharmaceuticals are not reluctant to sell medicine to us. They are willing to co-operate, so long as they get paid"

Mohamadzadeh who is also a member of the Medical Sciences Scientific Committee at Beheshti University added "The cause of the crisis is that either very little government rate currency is allocated or it is paid late."

Mohamadzadeh's statements are in tune with what the rest of Iranian medicine officials, including the former Health Minister, Marzieh Dastjerdi, have said repeatedly. "Medicine crisis in Iran is nothing to do with sanctions" as former Health Minister kept saying before she was sacked by Ahmadinejad. All the officials who are involved in the medicine import to Iran have been pinpointing the problem at medicine import companies, not receiving the allocated government rate currency to import the drugs with. The government rate currency is instead used to import luxury cars and non-essential goods like horse saddles, cosmetics and spade handles.

Deputy Health Minister, Hassan Emami Razavi:

“Although there is debate about drug shortages, the needed drugs are procured. One should not base judgment on hearsay.”

"free and fair" election? Excuse me? An election where the only individuals who can stand are Shia male Islamist followers of Khatt-e Emam (women and non-Khomeinists need not apply). Where all non-Khomeinist political actors and groupings have either been executed, imprisoned or intimidated into silence. Where the candidates have to be approved by the all male, unelected Council of Guardians which consists of 6 clerics and 6 lay religious "jurists", and there is no possibility of appeal. Where there is no freedom of speech, press, assembly, or religion. Where the final word on all key matters rests with the Supreme Leader-for-Life (who can only be a Shia male cleric).

Wow, isn't it amazing that the Islamic Republic isn't ranked even in the Top 100 among countries in either life expectancy or infant mortality despite having the world's 2nd largest natural gas reserves and 4th largest oil reserves and despite making as much in oil revenues in the past 8 years than Iran had in the preceding almost 100 years. How impressive is it to not even make the Top 100 among states in those measures!

A state with some of the largest oil and natural gas reserves in the entire world has life expectancy and infant mortality rankings not even in the Top 100 among countries in the world (lower than many countries poorer than Iran), not to mention the Gulf States and Israel, all of which have living standards far higher than the IRI (e.g. Bahrain's HDI is well above that of the IRI, not to mention, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc). Is one supposed to be impressed that the IRI is not even in the Top 100 in infant mortality and life expectancy despite earning many hundreds of billions of petrodollars during its 3-decade reign of mass executions, torture, and rape? Public opinion "polls" in an authoritarian regime that regulates every aspect of its citizens' lives (what they can wear, drink, eat; who they can associate with, socialize with, etc) is WORTHLESS. "Polls" show that 99% of North Koreans support their leaders, as do similar numbers of Cubans.

How "typical' of a West-residing IRI propagandist to accuse anyone who offers factual criticisms of the Islamist regime (facts which you are obviously incapable of addressing) of being "an embittered exile" blah, blah, blah. No one in Cuba is "forced" to vote either, Agha "Cyrus" (nor for that matter in Syria or the USSR). The IRI's "elections" are not free, fair or democratic regardless of what percentage may or may not vote in them -- any more than Cuba's, with higher claimed rates of "voter turnout", are. And I like how you keep ducking the issue of the Leader for Life (Leader? Who?), who was chosen 22 years ago by a group of 86 Shia male "experts", and all the other undemocratic features of the IRI which render its sham "elections" even more farcical. Ignoring such facts apparently isn't "wishful thinking" (LOOLLL!!!). And actually, I didn't call you a "regime supporter". But now that you mention it: sure, you're not a West-residing "regime supporter". Whatever gets you through the night, Agha "Cyrus".

By that line of "reasoning", then the "elections" in North Korea and Cuba are even more "legitimate" than IRI "elections", since those regimes claim over 95% turnout in their own sham "elections". And by way of contrast, elections in Western Europe and North America are less "legitimate", since their voter turnouts tend to be lower. And not to mention the fact that the Leader of the country, who has the last word on all important matters, can NOT under any circumstance be popularly elected. Nice try though, Agha "Cyrus", defending the Islamist regime.

Agha Cyrus, the IRI's "elections" go way beyond the issue of "fraud"; they are a complete and utter sham, in the tradition of "elections" in the USSR, North Korea, Cuba (presumably, those elections too are without evidence of "fraud"?).

First of all, the Leader of the country and by far the most powerful man in the country can NOT in any circumstance be elected by the "people of Iran" (and I say a "man", because the Leader can only be a Shia male cleric, thereby disqualifying over 99% of the population that are not clerics; the so-called IRI president also can only be a male, thereby disqualifying the female half of the population) . Rather, the Leader was chosen by a majority of 86 Shia male "experts" 22 years ago and is the Leader for Life for all intents and purposes.

Furthermore, the candidates for the IRI "presidency" along with the pseudo-parliament, the Majles, are vetted by the by the Guardian Council (a group of 12 MEN of religion -- again excluding the bulk of the Iranian population right off the bat), which is half picked by the Leader and half picked by the same Majles, which in turn is vetted by the same Guardian Council.

Moreover, there is one and only one line of political thinking permitted in the IRI: Khomeinism. There are different Khomeinist trends, just are there were different Leninist trends in the USSR, but no non-Khomeinist political groupings (let alone non-Islamist ones) are allowed to hold any political office of any sort in the IRI. The basic foundations of a democracy, e.g. freedom of speech, press, assembly, and freedom of and from religion, are non-existent in the IRI. So much for the IRI's elections!

And before you retort with the tried-and-true propaganda line of West-residing IRI enthusiasts, that 85% supposedly vote in IRI "elections", bear in mind that both Cuba and North Korea claim over 95% "voter turnout" in their sham "elections" as well.

Showing comments 8 - 1Page: 1

Donations

Thank you to all of my supporters for your generosity and your encouragement of an independent press! Checks to